[QUOTE]Posted by Russ:
Again, as I have stated in other posts, careful attention has to be paid to the specific tire you are comparing the SO-2 with. What makes the SO-2's width (contact patch) wider than its stated size is the construction, and this applies to other tires as well. A Nitto NT-555 reportedly has the largest contact patch of any "ZR" rated tire, so switching to that tire will not result in the differences (225 to 245) you mention above. Your statement is true if you were to compare the OEM SO-2 to the Dunlop SP Sport 9000, which has an extremely low contact patch (59.8%) compared to the Nitto NT-555 with the same size (70%).

You will pay for mounting and balance whether you buy the tires from us or a local tire store. We would ship the tires via UPS to you or a local installer and they would then put them on. I still believe we will save you money and we will have the tires in stock. We do charge for shipping but we don't collect any out of state sales tax.
We have listed on our web site installers that can help with the install and they are listed by zip code.
I don't think the local tire store will have the tires in stock nor will they beat our price.
If I can help let me know.
Thank you

[QUOTE]Originally posted by golfnut311
[B]Being someone who doesn't know a 245/45/16 from a 342/88/73(lol), can someone explain what these numbers actually mean? Or is there a thread that explains them?

Originally posted by Phantom
Even if the 555's came in 225/50/16...I doubt the 555's have more contact patch than our oem design.

According to Nitto, they advertise as follows:

NT-555 69.8%
S0-2 PP 61.5%

If the difference between the stock OEM PP and "street" PP were factored in, I believe the Nitto would still be putting down more tread.
Whether or not that actual tread is "stickier" than the Bridgestone's I wouldn't debate, as there are many factors that would go into that. I've stated in other posts that personally, I do not prefer ultra gummy tires, rather ones that communicate to me long before they reach the breakaway point. I've owned better tires than these S0-2's and wouldn't have preferred those either. Tires aren't that much different than the automobiles they're placed under. One brand isn't going to be for everyone. The stock OEM's suck in the rain, but for someone who drives under the sun only, it wouldn't matter. Others have commented they prefer the S0-3's better. My point was to inform some of the newbies that Bridgestone is not the only company that makes a "wide" version of an applicably sized tire. Best to find someone who REALLY knows their rubber because, and no reference to Jim, I have spoken to some salesfolks at Tire Rack who have been horribly misinformed about tires/wheels. I find Jim and Conner (another salesman) to be a refreshing change.

Siper2 - Thanks for the brief explanation. I finally(!!) get it and understand what you are saying and can now apply that to all the charts I have seen, etc. etc. etc. Sure would be nice if they made it a little easier, but then what fun would that be??

The only thing is the first number is not the tread width. It is the section width of the tire, in other words sidewall to sidewall. The numbers are not always right on with the size, like the OE tire on the S2K. Below is a link to our tire teck info.http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.htm
Let me know if I can help.
Thank you